In many cutting operations, plasma arc torches are utilized. These torches operate at very high temperatures which can damage many components of the torches. As such, some torches use liquid cooling to transfer the heat away from some of the cutting torch components. The cooling liquid is passed through various fluid chambers, etc. However, the presence and need for these chambers and passages means that alignment of some of the components of the torch assembly can be difficult, especially when components are replaced. When installation alignment is poor the performance of the cooling can be adversely affected and thus the usable life of the torch and torch components can be greatly diminished. Some torches have added various stabilizing portions on some of the components that extend into the cooling fluid paths, however these stabilizing portions can interfere with fluid flow and thus compromise the cooling abilities of the torch assembly. Further, existing torches have configurations which do not adequately address coolant leaks or spills to prevent the coolant from contacting critical components or leaking out of the torch.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional, traditional, and proposed approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such approaches with embodiments of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.